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5 books on Israel’s history

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David Brog is the is the Executive Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI). In light of the passing of Ariel Sharon this weekend, we thought it appropriate to pass along Mr. Brog’s commentary and book recommendations on Israeli history and the challenges the nation currently faces. Below are his commentary and recommendations.

David Brog: Israel is our front line ally. This tiny nation is an outpost of liberal democracy and Judeo-Christian values in a sea of tyranny and militant Islam. Israel is the only ally we have which regularly fights our shared enemies on our behalf instead of vice versa. And Israel is facing the greatest dangers in her brief history. Here are five books which can help you to understand Israel’s complex history and serious challenges.

Morris has at times been among Israel’s leading critics. That’s why this book came as such a disappointment to the blame-Israel-first crowd. Here, Morris cuts through the details of over a century of conflict to identify the two clear trends at its heart: the Israelis have repeatedly offered to compromise and share the land, while the Palestinians have rejected each such offer.

Gilder is one of the greatest living defenders of capitalism. Here he convincingly argues that Israel is at the center of a global struggle between “the rule of law and the rule of leveler egalitarianism, between creative excellence and covetous fairness.” This is an eloquent call for those who love freedom to stand with Israel.

Israel has been accused of almost every crime and abuse on the leftist checklist. Here Dershowitz, the consummate lawyer, applies his skills to debunking the leading anti-Israel myths. This is as solid a compilation of the pro-Israel side of the story as one can find.

Israel’s enemies claim that the creation of the Jewish state necessitated Arab displacement and death. Here Karsh, a professor at King’s College in London, sets forth the response to all of those who assert that Israel was born in sin. It is a powerful rebuttal to a pervasive myth.

Begin lived a remarkable life which was emblematic of the remarkable generation of Israel’s founders. He was a Zionist leader in pre-war Poland, a prisoner in the Soviet gulag during the war, an underground fighter in pre-State Palestine, and then an Israeli politician who, as Prime Minister, made peace with Egypt. Begin’s book is every bit as interesting as his life.

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*David Brog is the executive director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Before CUFI, Brog worked in the United States Senate for seven years, rising to be chief of staff to Senator Arlen Specter and staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has also served as an executive at America Online and practiced corporate law in Tel Aviv, Israel and Philadelphia, PA. Brog is the author of Standing with Israel: Why Christians Support the Jewish State (2006) and In Defense of Faith: the Judeo-Christian Idea and the Struggle for Humanity (2010). In 2007, the Forward newspaper listed Brog in its “Forward 50″ most influential Jews in America. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.